Displaying items by tag: Bob Cummings

FIVE GOLDEN DRAGONS

UK/Hong Kong, 1967, 93 minutes, Colour.

Bob Cummings, Margaret Lee, Rupert Davies, Klaus Kinski, Maria Rohm, Sieghardt Rupp, Roy Chiao, Brian Donlevy, Dan Duryea Christopher Lee, George Raft, Maria Pershing, Yukari Ito.

Directed by Jeremy Summers.

A routine action show of the 1960s, loosely based on a story by Edgar Wallace. It was the kind of popular entertainment of the period, very television-oriented, ageing stars, stars of popular series, international flavour, and attractive Hong Kong photography and settings.

Hong Kong was under British rule at the time and Rupert Davies appears as the Commissioner. There is also a mysterious financial group, the Golden dragons who meet wearing elaborate masks and then revealed as veterans from the 1930s and 40s, Brian Donleavy, Dan Duryea, George Raft – and joined by Christopher Lee.

There are further complications with criminals wanting to take possession of the money of the Golden dragons. This leads us to a variety of nightclubs, some singing performances, some double-dealing, secret rooms… And there are some of the local police investigating. And, in the middle, is popular star of earlier years, Robert Cummings, now Bob Cummings, boost of his TV show, walking through this film as if it was a light comedy, chewing gum, a very strange choice for the film.

British actress Margaret Lee, appears as one of the chief villains.

Just a reminder of what popular action shows were being made in the 1960s, the shift to television, basic plots, straightforward filming and editing, probably fairly basic in those times, and even more so now!